Antarctica documentary tells climate change story through Asian lens

The trailer of the documentary produced by Eco-Business, which is to be screened at the Changing Course exhibition in Singapore from 1 June to 12 July, captures the remote wilderness that is Antarctica and asks what the demise of this pristine landscape means for Asia.

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Earlier this year, Eco-Business founder and managing editor Jessica Cheam and videojournalist Fraser Morton joined an expedition to Antarctica to raise awareness about the global climate crisis and the urgent need to shift to more sustainable ways of living.

As part of the ClimateForce: Antarctica 2018 expedition, Cheam and Morton visually documented the pristine beauty, rich ecosystems and fragility of Antarctica in the face of climate change to produce the film From Asia to Antarctica.

The trailer, which contrasts images of the inhospitable continent and Asia’s cities, hints that the documentary will tell a story about two fates that are intricately connected: that of Antarctica and humanity in the world’s fastest growing and most populous continent.

The film is an attempt to show why Antarctica is so significant to the Earth’s climate, and to tell a compelling story of those defending it.

Some of those individuals, including the charismatic leader of the exhibition, renowned British environmentalist and explorer Robert Swan, are also featured in the trailer.

The documentary will be screened at the Changing Course film and photography exhibition, held from 1 June to 12 July at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which Eco-Business hopes will inspire positive change and spark conversations about how to tackle climate change and create a better future for generations to come.

The world’s need for inspiration

The exhibition will launch just after world leaders gathered in Bonn, Germany to work out how to implement the Paris Agreement, a historic accord signed in 2015 to combat climate change.

Most significantly, business leaders and members of civil society were given the opportunity to make their contributions to the climate talks for the first time in history - corporate social responsibility and individual choices appear to be more important than ever before.

Climate change, however, still remains an abstract concept to many people. Some individuals are yet to understand that they themselves can be part of the solution—through individual lifestyle choices or even innovative ideas—and therefore people need to be inspired if humanity is to face the greatest challenge of the 21st century. Changing Course aims to do just that.